The fate of Cardinal Woelki from Cologne was in the balance for a long time.
Now there is a decision by the Pope - but it is not one hundred percent clear either.
Cologne - Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki from Cologne remains in office.
This decision by Pope Francis was announced on Friday from church circles.
However, Woelki was taking a break from mid-October until the beginning of Lent at the beginning of March next year at his own request, it said.
In addition, an administrator will be used for the archdiocese.
Woelkis critics are likely to be disappointed that the Pope did not recall him.
However, the time-out and the administrator can also be counted in such a way that a complete rehabilitation has been denied him.
Pope decides on the Archdiocese of Cologne: Cardinal Woelki heavily criticized
The Archdiocese of Cologne has been in a deep crisis for about a year, which is reflected, among other things, in a wave of church resignations.
The crisis was originally triggered because Woelki did not want to publish an expert report commissioned by himself on how diocese officials dealt with allegations of abuse.
He gave legal reasons for this.
In the course of the resulting dispute, the cardinal and the most important bodies of the largest German diocese became increasingly estranged.
Pope Francis reacted to this this year by sending two plenipotentiaries to the Archdiocese of Cologne, the Stockholm Cardinal Anders Arborelius and the Rotterdam Bishop Hans van den Hende.
Among other things, they interviewed victims of abuse and then prepared an investigation report for the Pope.
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dpa / fn
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